What we learned from the LA Clippers’ preseason home opener
The LA Clippers fell 111-91 to the Denver Nuggets in their preseason home opener, but an impressive first half left fans feeling confident.
As Kawhi Leonard stepped onto the floor for the first time as a member of the LA Clippers, STAPLES Center erupted. When he made his first bucket, the noise only grew louder, and louder with the next.
It was finally here. After all the speculation, all the doubts, all the reports, Leonard was finally a Clipper, and he was making his mark. Even if it was just preseason action, it felt like it mattered.
The Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets Thursday night, 111-91, but that’s in no part because of LA’s first-half efforts.
LA went into the break with a nine-point lead over Denver but was ultimately outmatched in the second half, being outscored 59-30 over the course of the final 24 minutes.
Of course, those minutes weren’t the meaningful ones. Outside of Landry Shamet and Montrezl Harrell, none of the Clippers’ starters played more than 16 minutes. Leonard played only 10, and Lou Williams 14.
This game was not about seeing what these guys could do for a full 48. No preseason game is. The Clippers intended to get a better understanding of each player’s role, which lineups work, which don’t, and much more. And while there aren’t necessarily definitive answers to those questions that we could gather from LA’s third preseason outing, we certainly know more than we did before.
For starters, it was evident that this team is going to be scary once it’s at full strength. Paul George isn’t set to make his return until November, and it’ll take some time for him to get fully adjusted. But once that happens, the Clippers are going to be a problem.
Until then, the Clippers seem perfectly capable of coasting to a positive record with Leonard running the show. Even in limited action, he looked magnificent against Denver. Pair him with a player who is just as capable on the defensive end and averaged 28.0 points per game last year, and you’ve got a large part of the recipe that forms a title contender.
There were moments in Thursday’s game when the Clippers looked vulnerable, but it’s difficult to put too much stock into early-season woes. After all, this is just the preseason, and a lot of the smaller errors will work themselves out once the regular season begins.
But without further delay, let’s talk about some of the main things we learned from the Clippers’ preseason home opener, including the thing that’s on everyone’s minds: Leonard’s debut.